Martin Brothers - Steal Drums

Martin Brothers - Steal Drums
Have we ever lived in such bass-fanatical times? A record like this makes me wonder. It's driven hard by its low end, in a way that feels definitely post-dubstep—literally, as in after it chronologically. It's certainly house; even though the snares have a real skip to them, there's no mistaking it for anything other than basic four-to-the-floor dance music. And maybe that's why the subsonic roar that defines the hook on the original works so nicely: The Martin Brothers are judicious enough to let us wait for the next wave.

Julio Bashmore's remix gives "Steal Drums" a suavity (finger snaps and swooning organ give that wobbly little scratch some depth) that comes as a bit of a surprise—Dirtybird doesn't usually play it this lovely. You can party to Bashmore's version, too—it's just a little more upscale. Riva Starr brings things back down to earth. Starr's remix complicates the beat a touch, bringing in extra snare accents to give it a slightly military feel, and soon enough it's off in a completely different direction, before eventually ushering the hook back in, followed by that sub-bass, still potent but cast in a different light.